Words of wisdom

Did you miss out on our virtual Animal Care Expo? You can still sign up for just $49 and watch any session on demand until Nov. 1, plus access each session’s downloadable resources, at AnimalCareExpo.org. In the meantime, enjoy these excerpts from sessions voted as Animal Care Expo Online favorites.

“[According to law enforcement statistics,] white and Black Americans use and sell drugs at very similar rates. And yet Black people are much more likely to be arrested for drug-related offenses. It is imperative for us in animal welfare to recognize the differences in experiences and engagement with law enforcement that communities of color have, and to know we are not exempt from this reality in animal welfare. There’s no way that enforcement around animal laws and ordinances is somehow more fair and balanced than every other area of the system.”

—“Why access to animal care resources is a social justice issue” presented by HSUS Pets for Life senior director Amanda Arrington, Beyond Fences director of operations Lori Hensley, and HSUS Pets for Life social justice senior analyst Gabrielle Chapman

“If the average cost per hire nationally is about $4,100, and it’s taking approximately 42 days to fill positions, and we add on to that statistic that more than 25 percent of the working population start a new job every year in the United States, we start thinking about how onboarding is really a drain [on] resources. If we can successfully onboard [and retain staffers], we can save organizational resources and therefore save more animal lives.”

—“Growing the next generation of shelter leaders” presented by American Pets Alive! content manager Rory Adams

“This work fundamentally changes the way that we view the world. When we know what we know and have seen the things that we’ve seen, it’s very difficult for us to shake that lens. That’s why half of the ... ‘really adorable’ videos people on social media are sharing are too horrifying for me to look at. ‘Oh good, a munchkin cat. Oh, look at the tiger playing with the chimpanzee.’ None of it seems fun anymore ... because we know the stories behind those videos. So it really affects the way we view the world, even when we’re not even thinking about animals.”

—“Being a leader in work-life balance and organizational modeling to build resilience for your team” presented by HSUS senior director of volunteer engagement Hilary Hager and HSUS director of companion animals policy Lindsay Hamrick